International Storytelling Center — Attraction in Jonesborough

We had our wedding at the International Storytelling Center on August 20th, 2022! I grew up going to this venue for their storytelling events, and it was so special that I was able to get married at a spot that means so much to my family and hometown.

The venue itself is GORGEOUS and so much prettier than my memory serves. You can rent any combination of their space -- the park, the library, the parlor, and the courtyard. We rented the park for our ceremony, the parlor for food, and the courtyard for our reception and it was PERFECT! The parlor has huge windows so there was plenty of natural light and it has a balcony overlooking Main Street! The courtyard is spacious and just shaded enough to be great for an outdoor August reception! The park is so, so beautiful and has so many different areas that you could hold your ceremony in! Additionally, even though we didn't rent it, they told my bridesmaids and I that we could get ready in the library, since you are only charged for where you set up, and they recommended the Chester Inn right beside the venue for the groomsmen to get ready in! They also have a kitchen that is well-stocked with food prep items, which was helpful for our food service that day!

Lesley, the Facility Director, was our point person throughout the whole planning process. She was so helpful, cheery, and willing to answer every question we could think of. We live in Nashville, so the first few venue "visits" had to be conducted through video chat, and Lesley was so accommodating of that! If you are looking at the Storytelling Center as a venue, be sure to talk to Lesley!

I cannot compliment or recommend this venue enough! Everything was absolutely perfect from start to finish and my husband and I are tempted to marry each other over and over just so we could rent this venue again and again!

I've attached photos of the day, and our photographer was Abigail Wheeler! She is another person that we can't recommend enough for any...

Well the storytelling place is very nice well planned and thought out a beautiful building as for the rest of Jonesborough it's a beautiful town just has a lot of little problems for example we have no steak house we have no Applebee's we have nothing in town that would be convenient for the public because of the mayor Kelly Wolfe will not let anything come into town unless he can get his hand in it everyone knows this but no one will do anything about it so true and for as our new sheriff that we have that puts a cop on every corner you get caught doing 31 in a 30 mile and airzone and they'll give you a ticket it's pretty much police harassment 24/7 no one really wants to go out in town or in public because there's a cop sitting everywhere they have more cops in New York City it's a crying shame that you can't have peace in a small town without being harassed by a bunch of cops but anyway that's just my opinion can't wait to retire and leave this freaking town and go somewhere where people don't arrest you 24/7 and that you can actually have something without someone else controlling every move that's made in other words don't ever move to...

This annual festival is an absolute treasure. Here are the things I loved, and the things I didn't. Things I liked: It is attended by some of America's best storytellers Ticket cost seems steep for an outdoor festival but, looking back, it was actually a bargain. If you can attend for two days, the all-access pass is well worth it. In fact, looking back, I think it was a great bargain, even though I had to drive more than 10 hours each way to get there! The staff who mount the annual festival that has been ongoing for more than five decades, do a phenomenal job of coordinating an efficient and friendly atmosphere The many performers, who share their entertaining craft art, unfailingly, accessible, and willing to spend a moment with their fans. The town of Jonesboro, Tennessee is delightful, but more on that in a separate post.

What I didn't like, not much really: The festival's website doesn't cater much to newcomers so it can be difficult to understand how to plan your trip and the shows you may want to see. The staff can be very helpful, but...